Month: July 2016

2016 SCALE Competition – Media Release July 2016

The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office has been conducting an investigation into the disappearance of a Spartanburg County man reported missing on July 14, 2016.

Christopher Allen Tankersley (30yoa) was last seen on the evening of Wednesday, July 13^th after visiting a friend in the Six Mile Community. Tankersley left the friend’s residence operating a 2016 Kawasaki motorcycle stating that he was going home to his address in Boiling Springs, SC.

Mr. Tankersley never arrived at his residence and the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office along with Tankersley’s family and friends proceeded to search for him and any information in the following days that would answer questions regarding his disappearance.

During the initial stages of the investigation, the Sheriff’s Office canvassed the area and interviewed numerous residents and acquaintances. Area convenience stores were contacted for any possible surveillance video that may have captured images of Tankersley.

Search Warrants were requested and obtained in order to retrieve and review cell phone records. The Sheriff’s Office flew the area between Six Mile and Boiling Springs; however, no signs of Mr. Tankersley or the motorcycle could be found.

Last night, at approximately 9:00pm, the Sheriff’s Office was notified that a motorcycle had been seen by an area resident earlier this week parked in a secluded area behind Six Mile Elementary near a nature trail.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to the location and after locating the motorcycle, Mr. Tankersley was found deceased a short distance into the wooded area.

Evidence recovered at the scene indicates that the victim had been deceased for several days and that he died from self-inflicted injuries. A shotgun which Tankersley had purchased from a friend on the date of his disappearance was also recovered at the location next to the body.

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Pickens County Sheriff’s Office Continues to Warn Public about Telephone and Social Media Scamming Techniques 

The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office continues to receive reports of telephone calls to citizens throughout the county that are suspicious in nature and are characteristic of the same calls that law enforcement has warned the public about throughout the southeast region over the past year.

According to the Federal Communications Division, “Spoofing” is a commonly used technique where a person can hide or falsify the telephone number that they are calling from. The name of the person listed on the caller ID may not be accurate for it can also be manipulated and changed to a false identity.

Calls can be altered to appear as if they are originating from a financial institution, a business, government building or any other location from any area code. The caller may appear to be calling from a site nearby when in fact they could be calling from another state or even from another country.

Messages may give instructions to respond to prompts which will in turn call back a local law enforcement agency in an effort to make you think that the call is legitimate.

The ability to track or trace the origin of these types of false calls is extremely difficult and in many cases the actual location or identity of the caller can never be verified.

The public should be reminded that it is never a good practice to give any personal information over the telephone or social media. Several recent scams involve messages that ask you to return a call to a law enforcement officer with instructions to pay fees or fines over the phone to avoid criminal charges or additional penalties.

A law enforcement officer most likely will NEVER ask you to provide personal financial information over the telephone and citizens should avoid any conversation where you are being asked by an individual posing as a law enforcement officer or other unfamiliar person to put money on any type of pre-paid card.

Citizens can always contact the law enforcement agency and ask to speak directly with the officer that has allegedly left a message so that verification can be made to determine if a phone call was legitimate. Merely confirming that a particular officer by that name works at an agency may not be absolute confirmation that the call was not fraudulent. In many instances, the caller will falsely use the name of an actual employee in an attempt to add credibility to his request.

Scams asking you to send bond or bail money to relatives outside of the local area are also common schemes to fraudulently take your money. If you have a close relative that will be traveling outside of the country, establish a code word or sentence to verify their identity should they need to contact you before they return.

Never use social media to discuss any of your personal information that you do not want to be disclosed to the public and certainly do not post your plans or intentions to be away from your residence or to go on vacation which can alert a potential thief to target your home.

The practice of “checking in” on social media plays directly into the hands of the criminal for you have now informed him of your physical location and that your residence or your personal property may have been left unattended.

At the end of the day, if a telephone call or message causes you to become suspicious then it probably should be avoided and certainly if the deal or offer sounds too good to be true then trust your gut instinct and disengage from the conversation.

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Casey William Gillespie

 

07-14-16

Pickens County Sheriff’s Office Captures Escaped Inmate from County Stockade 

The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office has recaptured an inmate that had walked away from a work detail on Monday, July 11, 2016.

Authorities from the Pickens County Stockade reported that Casey William Gillespie was discovered missing from the work detail and immediately initiated an investigation into his disappearance. The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office was notified and requested to provide assistance in the effort to locate Gillespie.

This morning at approximately 7:00am, Sheriff’s deputies initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle that had been under surveillance. Gillespie was found inside the vehicle which was being operated by a female driver on Main St in Six Mile.

Casey William Gillespie (25) was taken into custody without incident and is currently being detained in the Pickens County Detention Center where he will face the charge of Escape per Stockade authorities.

Mr.. Gillespie’s mug shot has been attached to this release.

 

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Johnny Lee Ware

The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating a domestic dispute that resulted in a woman being stabbed multiple times in the upper chest area.

The Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call at approximately 7:15pm this evening reporting that a female had been stabbed at #319 Secona Rd in Pickens. Deputies arrived in approximately four minutes and located a female (56yoa) with what appeared to be stab wounds to the chest.

The victim was able to tell deputies that she was stabbed by her on and off boyfriend who was still at the residence upon the first deputy’s arrival.

Johnny Lee Ware (53yoa) was arrested at the scene without incident and is currently detained in the Pickens County Detention Center where he will face charges for Attempted Murder and Possession of a Weapon during a Violent Crime.

The victim was transported from the scene to a local hospital where she is currently being treated.

The investigation is preliminary in nature, but early information is that the altercation stemmed from a previous verbal dispute. There were no other individuals at the residence when the assault occurred.

Arrest Warrants will be made available once they have been issued and processed. A mug shot has been attached to this Release.

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The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating the theft of fireworks that occurred at the Hot Spot located #3908 Calhoun Memorial Hwy in Easley on July 3, 2016. 

An unknown male was captured on the store surveillance system as he left the location without paying for approximately $400.00 in fireworks that were removed from a display inside the business.

The suspect is described as a B/M, 5’5”, 175lbs and was wearing a white t-shirt, blue jean shorts and a red hat at the time of the theft.

The Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone that has information regarding the identity of the man in the attached photos to please call the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office at (864) 898-5500 or Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIMESC. 

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